


Sun's Out

by romantichopelessly



Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz
Genre: First Kiss, Getting Together, M/M, Rich angst, burn scars
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-08
Updated: 2018-12-08
Packaged: 2019-09-14 05:54:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16907349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/romantichopelessly/pseuds/romantichopelessly
Summary: Rich was usually the first one to go for the "sun's out guns out" mentality. Before, he used to even wear tanks in December. But ever since Halloween, layers have become his best friend. He doesn't know how to change that, especially when he is always with Jake.





	Sun's Out

**Author's Note:**

> Uploaded from my BMC Tumblr @/living-the-upgrade

The first time Rich wore one of his sleeveless shirts after the fire was the first time he was kissed by Jake Dillinger.

When Rich first got out of the hospital, it was early December, so he got away pretty easily without his signature tanks.

New Jersey in the winter was cold, it would have been more odd for someone to have not worn jackets than for Rich to suddenly take to layers.

He didn’t start getting looks until late March. It was actually Brooke who mentioned it first. They were sitting at their regular lunch table; Jenna was animatedly telling a story of the past weekend’s social escapades and Rich was pretending to be invested.

“Rich, aren’t you hot?”

He looked up, startled by the sudden diversion of topics from Madeline’s sex life.

“Hot? No. Why?” That possibly came out too defensive.

“It’s just that it’s getting warmer, and you’re still wearing way more layers than I’ve ever seen you in.”

Rich brushed it off with and off handed comment about how his classrooms were cold and he needed the extra warmth. No one questioned it again for a month.

It was the hottest day of the year so far, 90 degrees and climbing. Everyone at school had ditched jackets in favor of t-shirts or tanks. Everyone except for Rich, who was usually the first to go for the “suns out guns out” mentality.

He was burning up.

Everywhere he went it felt sweltering, despite it only being April. Christine had come up to him just that morning and told him that he looked like he was going to pass out.

He couldn’t put it off any longer. So the next day, Rich pulled out one of his tanks that he had stuffed in the very back of his drawer after he got back from the hospital. It was the least attention attracting one he had, simply white with a cartoon skull and crossbones on it.

It was a Thursday when Rich nearly had a breakdown standing outside the school, all of his scars on display. He could feel the other students looking at him. He could almost hear their whispers.

He was two seconds away from turning around and just leaving when he met gazes with Michael, headphones down around his neck, who offered him a small half smile and a tiny wave.

It wasn’t much of anything, in fact, Michael wasn’t even very close with Rich, but that wave brought him back to the ground. His friends wouldn’t care.

Rich breathed more easily as he made his way to his locker. He could still feel the looks of everyone around him, but they didn’t seem to matter as much.

That is, until he saw Jake standing by his locker.

And of course Jake Dillinger looked perfect. When didn’t he? He was only recently off his crutches, but he managed to look perfectly at home leaning against the red metal of the lockers.

After the fire, Jake and Rich had avoided one another for a while. Neither knew how to begin a conversation, let alone make up for all that had happened. It wasn’t until Christine’s Christmas party that they finally spoke to each other. It had been a hard conversation, but they ended the winter break closer than they had ever been before.

Not romantically, of course, but that didn’t mean that Rich couldn’t hope.

“Jakey-D! What’s up?”

Jake looked up and faltered. Rich could feel his eyes raking over the scars that ran up and down his arms. It felt like a thousand bugs running over his skin. He wanted to hide from that look, but he knew that it was the moment of truth and he couldn’t back out now.

Before Rich even had the chance to say something to change the subject, Jake’s hands were on his arms. Rich’s breath hitched as the warm palms ran up and down over his scarred skin.

“J-Jake-“

And as suddenly as he got the word out, Jake had taken his hands off of Rich’s arms and moved them to his face. The next thing he knew, they were kissing.

In the middle of the hallway.

Rich didn’t mind, though. The only sensation he had was his best friend’s lips on his.

It took nearly a minute before they pulled apart. Rich was breathless.

“You wanna go out with me?”

Maybe his scars weren’t quite so bad.


End file.
